July 2015 Cisco E-Zine

Welcome to Arrowdawns June 2015 Edition of the Cisco Technical E‐Zine.This is put together by members of the Cisco Technical Community to provide up‐to‐date technical information on Cisco Products, Technology and Services.We hope you will find this edition useful and if you have any questions on the details included please ask your Arrowdawn Technical Contact for more information or drop an email to connect@arrowdawn.com.

New Cisco Internet of Things (IoT) System Provides a Foundation for the Transformation of Industries

How Cisco Uses Splunk on Cisco UCS for IT Operations

Collaboration News

Entry to HD Video Communications for All Users and Organizations

Cisco Collaboration at Tech on Deck

Provide Service at Your Customer’s Convenience

“Seeing is Hearing” – Where Video Really Makes the Difference

Data Centre News

High-density, Top-of-Rack, Data Center Switching Nexus 31128PQ

Nexus 3500 Series NX-OS Release Notes 6.0(2)A6(3)

Nexus 7000 Family – NX-OS NX-OS 7.20D1(1) Release Announcement

EOS/EOL Notifications

End-of-Life Announcement for Catalyst 6500 Components

PSIRT Notifications

Cisco IOS Software TFTP Server Denial of Service Vulnerability

Breaking News…

Cisco commits US $1 Billion to accelerate UK digital economic growth

9th July 2015 – Following a meeting today at No.10 Downing Street between UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Business Secretary Sajid Javid, Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers, incoming Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and Cisco UK and Ireland Chief Executive Phil Smith, Cisco has announced a series of strategic commitments in the UK that will total over US $1Billion over the next three to five years. The investment will support the next phase of the country’s digitization plans.

This second significant round of activity in the UK follows the $500m commitment made by Cisco in 2011, which has contributed in excess of $5bn in technology and manpower to the UK economy through initiatives such as the British Innovation Gateway (BIG) that helps to foster and nurture UK innovation and entrepreneurship.

As more of the business models in IT shift to a recurring revenue model for products, software, solutions and services, the ability to easily implement, track, manage and renew contracts is critical to maximizing revenue potential. These transitions create opportunities and change for our customers, our partners, and for Cisco.

Cisco are pleased to announce Cisco’s intent to acquire MaintenanceNet, a privately held company providing a cloud-based software platform that uses data analytics and automation to manage and scale attach and renewals of recurring customer contracts.

Just as MaintenanceNet’s business was built with and through partners, this acquisition demonstrates Cisco’s focus on serving the partner go-to-market strategy and its significant role in our customers’ success. While we have worked together for some time, I look forward to welcoming the MaintenanceNet team into the Cisco family as we continue to innovate and grow our business.

Cisco will pay $139 million in cash and retention based incentives to acquire MaintenanceNet. The acquisition is expected to be complete in the first quarter of Cisco’s fiscal year 2016.

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire OpenDNS

Cisco announces its intent to acquire OpenDNS, a privately held security company based in San Francisco. OpenDNS provides advanced threat protection for any device, anywhere, anytime. The acquisition will boost Cisco’s Security Everywhere approach by adding broad visibility and threat intelligence from the OpenDNS cloud delivered platform.

The burgeoning digital economy and the Internet of Everything (IoE) are expected to spur the connection of nearly 50 billion devices by 2020, creating a vast new wave of opportunities for security breaches across networks. The faster customers can deploy a solution, the faster they can detect, block and remediate these emerging security threats. OpenDNS’ cloud platform offers security delivered in a Software-as-a- Service (SaaS) model, making it quick and easy for customers to deploy and integrate as part of their defense architecture or incident response strategies. By providing comprehensive threat awareness and pervasive visibility, the combination of Cisco and OpenDNS will enhance advanced threat protection across the full attack continuum—before, during and after an attack.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – June 10, 2015 – Cisco today announced it is partnering with 35 independent software vendors (ISVs) to accelerate the creation of innovative cloud services for the Intercloud—the globally connected network of clouds Cisco is building with its partners. This first wave of handpicked ISVs will offer cloud services to help customers capture the multitude of opportunities created by the Internet of Everything (IoE).

The company also unveiled its latest hybrid cloud software innovations spanning new security capabilities, increased manageability across clouds and support for additional hypervisors. By enabling flexible workload placement and consistent network and security policies across public and private cloud environments, Cisco Intercloud Fabric™ is taking the complexity out of hybrid cloud.

Training Events or Summits/Webcasts 2015

Save the Date for Cisco Live 2016, Berlin

Cisco Live takes place February 15–19, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. It is Cisco’s largest educational and training event in EMEAR, bringing together thousands of the brightest minds in IT. During the course of the week in Berlin, you will have access to hundreds of technical and business sessions, hands-on labs, more than 100 of Cisco’s top partners, and the opportunity to network with your peers and wi th Cisco’s technical product experts.

Join us. Save the date for Cisco Live. We look forward to seeing you there. The Cisco Live 2016 Team

Cisco Live is Cisco’s premier education and training destination for IT professionals worldwide. Our in- person events attract thousands of technical innovators and purchasing decision makers who come to network, source new products and learn about the future of technology.

An award winning annual flagship IT and communications event offering:

in depth technical education and training

cutting-edge insight on the latest technologies and trends

extensive networking opportunities over five days including breakout sessions, hands-on-labs and thought leadership keynotes.

As Cisco Live keeps growing year on year, in 2016 it will be moving to the vibrant and cutting edge city of Berlin, Germany.

Last month Cisco hosted another TechHuddle; this time primarily focused on Networking and related innovations/solutions that Cisco is bringing to the market. June TechHuddle “The Network is back in town” – The content is now available

Click here to register for the next TechHuddle – “Piecing together the Collaboration jigsaw”, October 2015

Firefly Optimization Clinic for Cisco UCS

Organisations that have existing Cisco UCS environments, and are considering :

Deploying new applications.

Expanding existing application footprints.

Evaluating the benefits of infrastructure upgrades.

Deploying new features with minimal disruption

This one-day, remote clinic connects UCS customers with our top expert in UCS Optimization. Spread the news to help your customers gain insight into their UCS environment and discover areas for improvement.

Before the Clinic

Customer registers for a clinic.

Customer runs our UCS PowerTools script on a domain in their UCS environment.

Secure Enterprise Network News

Cisco ISR 4000 Series routers form an intelligent WAN platform that deliver performance, security, and convergence capabilities that today’s branch offices need. We have introduced new modules for these routers, which are now orderable:

Supported on all Cisco ISR4000 Series modular platforms (4451, 4431, 4351, 4331, 4321) which have NIM slots. ISR G2 is not supported platform.

Gigabit Ethernet WAN Network Interface Modules (NIM)

Key Features:

The Cisco Gigabit Ethernet WAN Service Modules are based on the technology of the onboard Gigabit Ethernet and SFP ports on the Cisco 4000 Series ISR. Feature support is therefore identical to that of the onboard ports

The Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX and 2960-CX Series Compact Switches help optimize network deployments. These Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and MultiGigabit Ethernet (mGig) managed switches are ideal for high- speed data connectivity, Wi-Fi backhaul, and Power over Ethernet (PoE+) connectivity in places where space is at a premium. With a single copper or fiber cable from the wiring closet, Cisco Catalyst compact switches enable IP connectivity for devices such as IP phones, wireless access points, surveillance cameras, PCs, and video endpoints.

With their quiet, fan-less design and compact footprint, these switches offer flexible mounting options and open up a variety of network design and connectivity options. Use them in offices, classrooms, hotels, retail stores, and other enterprise and branch locations. The setup allows for shorter cable runs from the compact switches, allowing for flexibility in space redesign and growth as new devices join the network – this eliminating the need for expensive and inflexible cabling infrastructure.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) pass-through enables the compact switch to draw Cisco Universal PoE (Cisco UPOE™) power from the wiring closet and pass it to end devices (selected model) with the additional option to be powered by auxiliary AC-DC or DC-DC power adapter

Cisco Instant Access mode to enable single point of management and simplify operation (selected models)

Advanced Layer 2 (LAN Base) and Layer 3 (IP Base) support with an option to upgrade to IP services

Fan-less design and silent operation

Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (E-LLW)

The 3560-CX Series also offers support for Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Enterprise Module (APIC-EM) for:

Software-defined networking (SDN) Programmability

Network plug-and-play (PnP)

Cisco Wireless Mobile Application

We are excited to announce the General Availability of the Cisco Wireless Mobile Application on both Apple iTunes Store and Google Play

Key capabilities:

Over-The-Air Provisioning of compatible Wireless LAN Controller that enables configuration of best-in-class Wireless Network with best practices enabled by default in matter of minutes

Connected Factory Security is the latest version of the Cisco Connected Factory series of solutions. Building on the best practices of our Connected Factory Automation and Connected Factory Wireless solutions, the Connected Factory suite of solutions protects plant assets with converged-access security products, technologies, and services. In addition, the solution aids in the unification of security implementations that may span IT and operational technology (OT) environments.

Securing the Path to IoE Value

Customers may already be harnessing a new generation of predictive maintenance, quality, and real- time energy-use analytics from machine systems, plant-floor mobile apps, and cloud-based services. Gaining efficiencies, but also exposing industrial automation and control systems (IACS) to new security threats. What if you could realize the benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) while deploying a fully integrated and standardized suite of security tools ?

Cisco and Rockwell Automation have designed the Connected Factory Security suite to address IACS security risks and transform diverse manufacturing processes into a unified and highly secure communication system that links infrastructure, machines, and people.

New Cisco Internet of Things (IoT) System Provides a Foundation for the Transformation of Industries

The new Cisco IoT System comprises six critical technology elements or ‘pillars’ which – when combined together in an architecture – help reduce the complexities of digitisation. Cisco also announced 15 new Internet of Things products within the six pillars.

The six pillars of the new Cisco IoT System are as follows:

Network Connectivity: This pillar includes purpose-built routing, switching, and wireless products available in ruggedized and non-ruggedized form fact

Fog Computing: ‘Fog’ is a distributed computing infrastructure for the Internet of Things (IoT) which extends computing capability – and thereby data analytics applications – to the ‘edge’ of network It enables customers to analyse and manage data locally, and thereby to derive immediate insights from connections.

Security: The security pillar of the IoT System unifies cyber and physical security to deliver operational benefits and increase the protection of both physical and digital asset Cisco’s IP surveillance portfolio and network products with TrustSec security and cloud/cyber security products allow users to monitor, detect and respond to combined IT and Operational Technology (OT) attacks.

Data Analytics: The Cisco IoT System provides an optimized infrastructure to implement analytics and harness actionable data for both the Cisco Connected Analytics™ Portfolio and third party analytics software.

Management and Automation: The IoT System provides enhanced security, control and support for multiple siloed functions to deliver an easy-to-use system for managing an increasing volume of endpoints and applications, field operators need an easy-to-use management system.

Application Enablement Platform: Offers a set of APIs for industries and cities, ecosystem partners and third-party vendors to design, develop and deploy their own applications on the foundation of IoT System capability

Fog Data Services: Allow operators to create policies that monitor and take actions on data flowing through the IoT environment (data-in-motion). It resides on the IOx platform so users can integrate custom policies with applications.

Monitoring security incidents and routine operations for our network and computing infrastructure are two vital, everyday responsibilities for Cisco IT. By 2015, it was clear that we needed to replace the monitoring systems we had been using for these functions. For security monitoring, we used an externally developed security information and event management (SIEM) system, which had significant limitations for data capture and access. For routine operations, the Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System (CS-MARS) we had been using was no longer sold by Cisco.

We wanted Faster incident resolution and fewer system problems with big data and analytics solutions for IT operations in a new monitoring solution that would help:

Create a framework for self-servicing and self-healing capabilities.

Reduce mean time to problem detection (MTTD) and mean time to resolution (MTTR) for problems.

Collaboration News

Entry to HD Video Communications for All Users and Organizations

The Cisco IP Phone 8865 introduces affordable entry to 720p HD video communications, in addition to superior voice communications, to the IP Phone 8800 Series portfolio. The combination of HD video and voice performance can enhance collaboration throughout an entire organization. The 8865 is ideal for knowledge workers, administrative staff, managers and customer care staff within small businesses to the very large enterprise.

The IP Phone 8865 also delivers a superior audiophile experience with European Telecommunications Standards

Institute (ETSI) compliance for echo cancelation and vibration isolation. Acoustical enhancements to both microphone and speaker were made as well to deliver the best audio experience in an IP Phone Cisco has shipped to date.

The 8865 is supported on Cisco on-premises and hosted communication servers including Unified Communications Manager, Business Edition and Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS).

In addition, the 8865, is targeted to also support hosted third- party call control with its SIP interoperability (requires a future firmware update). This will not be available at time of initial release (June 2015) of the 8865.

Superior audiophile experience with European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) compliance for echo cancelation and vibration isolation and acoustical enhancements to both microphone and speaker delivers best audio experience in an IP Phone Cisco has delivered to date.

Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice for personal mobile device integration enabling import of contacts, call history and moving of audio path, during active voice and video calls to the 8865, when in range of it at the desk.

Bluetooth radio offers choice of third party headsets and support for Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice

USB charging of personal mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets from the 8865’s two USB ports

Supports five lines and multiple-call-per-line appearance for added flexibility in call management

Support of up to three optional IP Phone 8800 Key Expansion Modules for 108 additional programmable line/feature keys beyond those that come standard with the 8865 phone

RJ-9 and Auxiliary ports for support of third party headset offerings (consult vendor of choice for headset model compatibility)

IT features for the IP Phone 8865 include:

Flexible deployment options with support from Cisco communication servers, whether on- premise or based in the cloud and in the future, support on hosted third party call control platforms (not supported at initial availability of the 8865)

Support for 802.11a/b/g/n and ac Wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) to reduce installation and administration costs in WLAN-enabled campuses or for workers at home with Wireless LAN access.

Support for 802.3af/at Power Over Ethernet (PoE) to reduce installation and infrastructure costs by eliminating or reducing the need for local power supplies.

Gigabit Ethernet integrated switch to reduce IT administration and cabling costs at the desk while processing the traffic from a co-located multimedia PC efficiently and effectively

This week I had a great opportunity to participate in the first ever Tech on Deck with Robert Scoble and Scott Jordan.

Tech on Deck is being broadcast from SCOTTeVEST’s headquarters in Ketchum, Idaho, which happens to be a mile away from Sun Valley where the annual Allen & Co. Conference is taking place. This event boasts an impressive list of the who’s who in technology and media so Robert and Scott thought what better time to do a live broadcast exploring many different topics ranging from technology, to start-ups, to music and more. We provided the video collaboration and wireless network technology to help make Robert and Scott’s vision become reality.

During our discussion, we talked about what I am doing at Cisco, our vision for collaboration and dug deep into video and a hot new category called business conferencing, Cisco Spark and our cloud platform. I am glad to have supported this inaugural event and check out the full interview here.

Congratulations to the entire Tech on Deck team for a successful event ! For more information, visit:

As consumers, we have many options in how we browse, research, and purchase products today. We expect more freedom and flexibility in how we work with retail companies. Forward-looking companies strive to improve their customers’ experiences and provide flexibility without compromising quality.

Unfortunately, areas such as mortgage lending remain high-touch and require face-to-face meetings with customers. For banks, the challenge is that it doesn’t make sense to have an expert in every branch, which means mortgage experts typically travel among branches. Customers may have access to a lending expert only once a week, or even every two weeks. It’s difficult to do business that way.

Now, look at what Nationwide has accomplished in the area of mortgage lending. Nationwide prides itself on customer service: It’s the world’s largest building society and services 1 of every 4 U.K. homes. In order to grow and provide exceptional service to more households, Nationwide realized it would be better to bring its mortgage experts to the customer. They did this with video conferencing and the results have been spectacular.

Most impressive is the increase in customer satisfaction from meeting with consultants over video. The experience and expertise remain the same, but providing experts at the customer’s convenience led to a significant improvement in ratings, and additional business for Nationwide at lower cost.

I love hearing customers talk how they’ve conquered communications challenges using our technology. It’s exciting to be a key part of their journeys and successes. A recent conversation with such a customer affected me in a powerful and personal way that I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

It was late afternoon at a recent technology trade show. Booth traffic was lighter as attendees headed toward a reception to wrap up a long, information-packed day. I was mentally massaging my aching “trade-show” feet and thinking about a research-paper topic for the American Sign Language (ASL) class that my daughter and I are taking at our local community college. A customer strolled up to ask about our latest portfolio enhancements, and thus began our extraordinary conversation.

He shared how his organization comprises a group of companies that deliver network-based interpretation services for different types of clients. His team provides “in-person” ASL interpretation through a video-relay-service (VRS) using Cisco collaboration technologies.

The organisation offers the service to registered deaf and hard of hearing clients across North America. It uses Cisco video conferencing solutions.

“Our company currently has over 20 call centres around the United States that take in hundreds, sometimes thousands of calls per day,” he said. “Each of our centres is staffed by qualified ASL video interpreters. Some are regular employees, many more are volunteers giving their time to staff the banks of video phones set-up across the sites. VRS is a critical, sometimes life-saving, resource for people with hearing loss, and we want to be there for them.”

As the lights dimmed on the tradeshow floor, I asked, “So, where is VRS headed?” He smiled and said, “Wherever telecommunications providers take their high-speed Internet services, we’ll take our VRS to those who need it. After all, isn’t that what true collaboration is all about?”

Data Center News

High-density, Top-of-Rack, Data Center Switching Nexus 31128PQ

The Cisco Nexus® 31128PQ Switch is a dense, high-performance Layer 2 and 3, 10- and 40-Gbps switch that is a member of the Cisco Nexus 3100 switches. The Nexus 3100 switches are the second-generation Cisco Nexus 3000 series switches and offer improved port density, scalability, and features compared to the first-generation switches. The Cisco Nexus 31128PQ comes in a compact two-rack-unit (2RU) form factor and runs the industry-leading Cisco® NX-OS Software operating system, providing customers comprehensive features and functions that are widely deployed. It supports both forward and reverse (port side exhaust and port side intake) airflow schemes with AC and DC power inputs. The Cisco Nexus

31128PQ is well suited for data centres that require a cost-effective, power-efficient line-rate Layer 2 and 3 access or leaf switch.

The Cisco Nexus 31128PQ is a 10-Gbps Enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) and 40-Gbps Quad

The Nexus Product Management team is excited to announce the availability of NX-OS 7.2.0D1(1) and the first customer ship of the new Nexus 7702 Switch. NX-OS 7.2.0D1(1) brings new capabilities in the Nexus 7000 family including strengthening the Programmable Fabric offering, leveraging the Data Centre Edge capabilities of the versatile F3 line card and introducing Patch-ability and High Availability innovations.

New features in the 7.2.0D1(1) release

The tables below showcase just a few of the new features and scale/performance enhancements added to the release. For a more comprehensive list please refer to the NX-OS 7.2.0 D1(1)Release Notes and the Verified Scalability Guide referenced below.

New Hardware

Nexus 7702

One I/O module, one supervisor slot, two power supply slots. All components are hot swappable

PSIRT Notifications

Cisco IOS Software TFTP Server Denial of Service Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the TFTP server feature of Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition. The TFTP server feature is not enabled by default.

The vulnerability is due to incorrect management of memory when handling TFTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by making a number of TFTP requests to the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload or hang.

Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. This advisory is available at the following link: